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Lissatinny is a rath, an early Christian ringwork settlement characteristic of early medieval Ireland. The monument occupies land in the Coleraine area of County Londonderry, situated above bedrock of Palaeogene extrusive rocks formed during the Paleogene period as mafic lava and tuff. These volcanic foundations underlie the landscape where the rath was constructed, having cooled and solidified many millions of years before its establishment in the early Christian period.
Raths of this type typically comprise a single or multiple circular earthwork banks with an internal settlement space, serving as homesteads, farms or noble residences. Lissatinny fits the known distribution and form of such monuments across the province. The site is now legally protected as a scheduled historical monument, registered with the Historic Environment Division under reference number 12067.
The rath represents a significant phase of settlement and land use in early medieval Ulster. Such ringworks frequently occupied elevated or well-drained ground, as here, positioning them advantageously within their surrounding territory. The monument survives as an archaeological record of early Christian settlement patterns and social organisation in the north of Ireland.
Lissatinny. rath is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 12067. View the official record →
Lissatinny is a rath, an early Christian ringwork settlement characteristic of early medieval Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 12067.
Lissatinny. rath dates from the e.christ. period, and is classified as a rath. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Lissatinny. rath is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Ni. The official designation reference is 12067.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Rough fort. earthwork (1.7 km), Farrantemple fort. bivallate rath (3 km), Dwarf's grave, slaght averty. cairn (3.6 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Lissatinny. rath's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Lissatinny. rath stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Palaeogene, bedrock that formed in the Paleogene. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.